Russian and Malian forces foil terrorist attacks (VIDEO)

At least 26 assailants were neutralized after a coordinated assault targeted military positions across Mali, the African nation’s army has said

Malian forces backed by Russia’s Africa Corps have repelled a coordinated terrorist assault on several locations across the West African nation, killing at least 26 militants, the army has said.

In an initial statement on Saturday, the Malian Armed Forces (FAMa) said armed groups had targeted military positions in Aguel-Hoc, Anefis, Gao, Sevare, and Kenioroba. It later said all the attacks had been “vigorously repelled” and that the situation was “totally under control.”

The statement came after Azawad Liberation Front spokesman Mohamed Elmaouloud Ramadane wrote on Facebook that the separatist group had launched an offensive to take control of the town of Anefis in northern Mali.

According to the provisional toll, “20 terrorists on motorcycles and in equipped vehicles were neutralized” in Sevare. In Gao, one soldier was killed and four others wounded, while six terrorists were neutralized and one vehicle destroyed, the army said.

In a separate communique, FAMa said troops, “in collaboration with their strategic partner from Africa Corps,” pushed back simultaneous assaults targeting Konna and Somadougou.

“The human and material toll of these two coordinated operations is particularly heavy in the ranks of the enemy,” the army stated.

African Union (AU) Commission Chairperson Mahmoud Ali Youssouf condemned the July 4 attacks, describing them as “a stark reminder that terrorism and violent extremism continue to pose a serious threat to Mali, the Sahel, and the African continent as a whole.”

He extended condolences to the families of those killed and reaffirmed the AU’s support for efforts to combat terrorism and restore stability across the Sahel.

Mali has battled a jihadist insurgency since 2012, a crisis that has spilled into neighboring Burkina Faso and Niger. The three military-led states have severed defense ties with France, expelled French troops, and repeatedly accused Paris of sponsoring terrorism in the Sahel. They have since turned to Russia for security support.

In April, coordinated strikes hit multiple locations in Mali, including military sites and infrastructure in Bamako and Kati. Malian Defense Minister Sadio Camara was killed in an attack on his residence, prompting the country’s transitional leader Assimi Goita to assume direct control of the republic’s defense.

The Africa Corps, a Russian Defense Ministry unit deployed in Mali, provided air support to help Malian forces prevent the militants from seizing key sites, including the presidential palace in Bamako, officials said. More than 200 terrorists were killed during the fighting, according to FAMa.